Presser-foot-controlling device



March 18, 1924.

F. F. WITKUS Filed Aug. l1 1922 PRESSER FOOT CONTROLLING DEVICE Patented Mar, 18, i924,

FRANK F: WXTKUS, OF NEWPORT, NEW HAMPSHIRE.

PRESSER-FOOT-CONTROLLING :DEVICEv application mea augurali, 1922. serial No, semis.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK F. WrrKUs, a citizen of the United States, a resident of Newport, in the county of Sullivan and the Cv State of New Hampshire, have invented an improvement in Presser-Foot-Controlling Devices, of which the following is a speciication.

rllhis invention relates to that class of te sewingmachines having a presser-foot of the wheel type, which is held against the work in close proximity to the needle, and is so supported that it may not only be lifted vertically from the work, but may also be i moved laterally from its normal position adjacent the needle after it has been lifted to a position at one side thereof, so that Vit will not be in the way of the operator, when it becomes necessary to thread the needle, or

2@ make adjustment which would otherwise be interfered with.

Prior to my invention, so far as l am aware, the arrangement, in machines of this character, has been such that it has been @5 necessary for the operator to move the presser wheel by hand from its normal position, when it was desired to thread the needle and to return to said position in the same manner after `the needle had been threaded,

what delayed. p

The object of my invention is to provide a simple and e'ective means whereby the presser foot may be automatically moved to an inoperative position at oneside of its normal position by the action of lifting the presser bar, whichcarries the presser wheel, to its highest point so that it will be unnecessary for the operator to move the presser wheel out of position by hand, when the needle is to be threaded.

l accomplish this' object, in the present instance, by providing means normally actuated to move the presser wheel out of normal position together with means for lock ing the same in said position, and means for automatically moving said locking means out of operative positionarranged to be actuated during the latter portion of the lifting movement of the presser bar.

For a more complete understanding of my invention, reference is made to the accompanying drawing in which Figs. 1 and are, respectively, side and front elevations of the presser mechanism of so that the work of the operator was some` a sewing machine containing an embodiment Fig. 3 is a sectional view, on an enlarged scale, of the presser bar head illustrating the locking and releasing mechanism.

Fig. A is a detail planview of the presser bar head.

As my invention is applicable to a-welly known type of sewing machine, only those parts are shewn which directly co-operatey my invention di# lifted both by a hand lever in the casing,-andv by afoot or leg operated lever beneath the machine table, which latter is usually attached to the presser bar," through a chain,

or similar means, by means of a collar 3, or-

other suitable means, attached directly to the bar. A head or block/i is clamped on the lower end of the presser bar, and carries various attachments, and also carries the presser wheel 5, which is rotatably supported close to the needle, by an arm 6, said arm being mounted to swing outwardly and upwardly about a horizontal axis between a pair of pivot screws 7, threaded in ears on the head il. A vspring 8 is coiled about a pin-.9 mounted in the arm, in linewith its axis and with its ends respectively engaged bythe arm and by the head lhas shown in Fig. 3, so that said spring, when free to act, will swing the arm from the full line, to the dottedline position of rFig. 2. A right angular shaped locking lever, or latch 10 is mounted on the head A by means of a vpivot l1, the arm 10 of said lever extending beneath the head and having a rounded projection l0b at its end, which is adapted to engage the front side of a' portion of the arm 6 adjacent the lower edge thereof, said arm being normally held against said lower edge by the action of a spring 12, which is arranged to engage the other arm 10c of the lever. W' ith this arrangement, when the arm 6 is in normal position, it will be held by the projection 10b against outward and upward swinging movement by the spring 8. As the surface portion of the projection 10b, which engagesthe arm 6, is somewhat rounded, the arm 6 may be forced by hand out of engagement with the projection 10", so that the wheel willbe held in the dotted line position of Fig. 2, andas the opposite side of said projection is also rounded, when the arm 6 is manually pressed there against, in return- 1n wicll yield and act as a latch to lock the arm 6 in the latter position. A. stop screw 13' is provided in the arm 6 which is brought into engagement with the head 4 as the presser wheel 's swung into normal position, in which position the work engaging face oi the wheel is at the iner side of the perpendicular line through the axis about which the arm 6 swings, so that, when the wheel is pressed against the work, the tendency is to swing the arm in the direction to press the stop screw 13 against the head.

A rod 14 is s'lidably mounted in. the head 4, and rests at its lower end, on the arm 10", the upper end portion thereof projecting above the head 4 to such an extent, that, when. the presser bar is raisedl to its highest point, the upper end of the rod 14 will engage the under side of the casing v1 just before the highest point is reached, so that, during the remainder' of the lifting movement, the rod will be held against movement, causing the arm 10ad of the latch to be swung away from the head 4 suiiciently to disengage it from thearm 6 and permit the spring 84 to swing the latter up to its inoperative position- With this arrangement, when' the presser is only lifted to a su'icient extent to enable the operator to' shift the position of the work, the latch will not be disengaged, but, when the operator, for example, wishes to thread the needle, the presser bar will be raised to its fullest extent and the wheel will be automatically swung out of the way of the operator. Before the presser bar is lowered, the arm 6 will be'pushed back to the' normal position by hand.

A small push button 15 may be provided on the arm 10", which if pressed will release the latch, but ordinarily this will not be employed.

I claim:

1. In a sewing machine, a presser bar movable vertically between predetermined limits andl having a presser-foot at its lower end', means permitting lateral movement of said foot relatively to said bar between a normal position and an inoperative position at one side of said normal position, means northe same to normal position, the arm 10a' mally acting to retain the `toot in said normal position, and means for automatically moving the foot to said inoperative position .when the bar is raised to a predetermined extent.

2. In a sewing machine, a presser' bar movable vertically between predetermined limits and having a presser-foot at its lower end, means permitting lateral movement of said foot, relatively to said bar, between its normal position and an inoperative position at one side of said normal position, means normally acting to retain said foot in its normal position, and automatically operated means for moving said toot from its normal to its inoperative position during the latter porion of the upward movement of the presserar. f

3. In a sewing machine, a presser bar movable vertically between predetermined limits and having a presser-foot at its lower end, means permitting lateral movement of said toot, relatively to said bar, between its normal position and an inoperative position at one side of said normal position, means normally tending toV move the foot from its normal to its inoperative position, a locking device arranged to hold the foot in its normal position and means arranged to'be automatically operated to move said locking device to release the loot and permit movement thereof to its inoperative position, when the bar is lifted to the upper limits of its movement.

4. In a sewing machine, a presser bar movable vertically between predetermined limits and having a presser-foot at its lower end, means permitting lateral movement of said foot, relatively to said bar, between its normal position and an inoperative position at one side of said normal position, a spring normally tending to move the foot from its normal to its inoperative position, a latch for retaining the foot in its normal position against the action of said spring, a iixed abutment, and means carried by said bar, arranged to engage said abutment during the latter portion of the upward movement of the bar and to be relatively moved to release said latch, to permit the spring to move the foot to its inoperative position.

In testimomny whereof, I have signed my name to this specification.

FRANK F. WITKUS. 

